McBride Charles Ryan Architects: Klein Bottle House
by Kelsey Keith
Applying the logic of a mathematical principle—called "Klein Bottle," a continuous volume with no inside and outside—to architecture, this breathtaking private residence is the work of Australian firm McBride Charles Ryan.
Nestled among the trees on the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne, the principal architects on the project thought an "origami version of the bottle would be achievable and hold some ironic fascination," while still functioning as a family home. The house revolves around a central courtyard as a sweeping staircase connects the various levels, creating a sense of both unity and distance between the public and private quarters.
